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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26752465">Zhian'tara</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorta_Scholar/pseuds/Vorta_Scholar'>Vorta_Scholar</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Trektober, Trektober 2020, Weyoun 6 lives, trektober2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:22:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26752465</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorta_Scholar/pseuds/Vorta_Scholar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Weyoun stays with Ezri after a particularly tough segment of her Zhian'tara ceremony.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ezri Dax/Weyoun 6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Zhian'tara</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For Trektober 2020, Day 1</p><p>Prompt: First kiss</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You really didn’t have to stay,” Ezri said, smiling weakly as she held the steaming mug between both her shaking hands, leaning heavily on her elbows on the table. “I'm fine.”</p><p>“I wanted to,” he said. “To...to make sure you were alright.”</p><p>“Thank you, Weyoun,” she said. “That’s very kind.”</p><p>“Do you want to take a break until tomorrow?” he asked. “I can talk to them if you like.”</p><p>She sighed. “No, that’s alright. I should get this over with. There’s only two more, and they're a lot easier.”</p><p>“Alright,” he said.</p><p>“Really, thank you for staying with me,” she said, placing one of her hands on his arm.</p><p>He looked at her, then down at her hand with wide eyes. “Of course,” he murmured. “Thank you for including me. This is a major rite of passage. It is an honor that you even thought to ask me. It’s the least I could do to stay with you when…”</p><p>She nodded. “Yeah,” she said with another heavy sigh. “I’m okay, really. It’s fine. It’s something I have to come to terms with, right?”</p><p>“I suppose so,” he said softly. “That’s something I can understand.”</p><p>“I know,” she said, smiling. “That’s why I asked you to do this for me. I knew that you understand what it’s like to have someone else’s thoughts and memories inside you, and you know how to deal with that. I knew you were strong enough to take on something like this.”</p><p>“I’m still learning,” he said.</p><p>“Me, too,” she said, smiling. “I’m just sorry that it had to be...<em>him </em>.”</p><p>“So am I.” He placed a hand on hers, still on his arm. “But you handled it very well, and it’s over now.”</p><p>She frowned. “It’s not, though. It’ll never be over. I’ll always have that in me.”</p><p>“I know,” he said softly.</p><p>She could see the pain in his eyes, the understanding. He knew. It was the truth, not just something he was saying because he wanted to show his sympathy or because he was uncomfortable and wanted her to stop being so vulnerable in front of him. He really did know. He had memories like that. He still had the thoughts of those who came before him to combat every day of his life, much like she did. Maybe worse than she did, because at least she had eight other lifetimes of happiness and love to help her forget about the one bad one. He had to make his own memories of happiness and love every day to cover up the not so great ones.</p><p>She turned her hand under his and wrapped her fingers around it, holding his hand gently.</p><p>“I know you do,” she said.</p><p>“We both have people in our pasts who we want to forget,” he said. “People who we don’t want to become again.”</p><p>She nodded. “Yeah. We do.”</p><p>“It’s just something we’re working through,” he said. “And I’d say we’re doing marvelously so far. We just have to keep working at it. Every day.”</p><p>“I think you’re right,” she said. “And...I’m glad we’ve found each other. It’s been a bit easier as a team these last few months, wouldn’t you say?”</p><p>“Yes,” he said, smiling.</p><p>She smiled. “Hey,” she said, scooting her chair a little closer to his, “thanks again for staying with me.”</p><p>“Of—” he started to say, but was taken by surprise when she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “...course.”</p><p>He looked at her, surprised, and she smiled at him again. He relaxed some, and tentatively, she leaned in again, this time pressing her lips softly to his. He kissed her back, placing a hand gently on her cheek and moving closer.</p><p>From the doorway a few moments later, someone cleared their throat, and the two of them broke away from one another, feeling somewhat embarrassed.</p><p>“Ezri, I came to check on you, but I see you must be feeling better,” said the Trill woman by the door, the corners of her mouth twitching upward in a smile that she was trying hard to stifle.</p><p>“Some, yes,” Ezri said, unable to meet the woman’s eyes.</p><p>“Are you ready for the next session?”</p><p>Ezri looked at Weyoun, then back to the woman. “Yes,” she said, and stood to prepare to return to the ceremony room, where Worf, who had agreed to come back specifically for this occasion, was waiting to take on Curzon’s memories. To Weyoun, she said, “I’ll see you later this evening?”</p><p>“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.</p><p>She smiled. “Alright,” she said, and followed the woman out of the room.</p>
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